The Twilight Twenty Five: Round One
by stolenxsanity
Summary: A variety of one-shots and/or drabbles written for The Twilight Twenty-Five over a 3 Month period. Ratings, Genres, POV's and pairings will vary.
1. Aesthetic

**The Twilight Twenty-Five**  
Prompt: Aesthetic  
Pen name: stolenxsanity  
Pairing: EdwardxBella  
Rating: T

* * *

With my camera sitting off to the side, the screen lit up with pictures I'd taken earlier, I study the storm outside with care. I see beauty where no one else can – where no one else would even look – except _my_ Bella.

I should be driving back to her, but the destruction taking place beyond the walls of this house holds me in place, stock still at the window as the pelting rain beats rhythmically against the glass panes. The sky is dark with clouds – black and oppressing – angry red filtering through, a backdrop of devastation.

_Exquisite._

She would understand.

* * *

**What is "The Twilight Twenty-Five?"**  
The Twilight Twenty-Five – or TT25 – is a LiveJournal community that challenges the authors who have signed up to write twenty-five one-shots and/or drabbles using predetermined prompts as a starting point over a three month period. A drabble is defined as a work of fiction that is neither no more or no less than one-hundred words, even.

**Where can I find this LiveJournal Community?**

The link will be posted on my FFn profile, but for now, go here: **http://thetwilight25(dot)livejournal(dot)com** - I encourage you to do so as there are 71 participants involved meaning that there will be over one-thousand _new_ TwiFic stories posted.

Thank you to **queenofgrey**for taking a look at this for me and making sure that it was squared away as well as starting this community. You are fucking awesome, bb, jsyk. Also, to **gypsysue** for listening to me rant and rail nearly nonstop over this and my indecision – one-shot or drabble, one-shot or drabble – and helping me when I needed it.

Lastly, **not mine**. _Twilight _and its characters belongs to SMeyer.

I'll be posting all my entries here, as one story, though they are not in any way connected to each other; POV's, pairings genres and ratings will vary with each entry.


	2. Awkward

**The Twilight Twenty-Five**  
Prompt: Awkward  
Pen name: stolenxsanity  
Pairing: AlicexBella  
Rating: T

* * *

Alice and I observed from high above, perched upon the branches of a strong Oak, as she moved clumsily. Her short legs folded over each other every time she tried to stand, causing her knees to buckle repeatedly. She was relentless, though, and determined to rise to her feet steadily.

"She reminds me of me," I murmured softly, lightly chuckling through my words.

"You were much worse than that, Bella," Alice scoffed, nudging me playfully. "That foal is awkward, _you_ were a disaster."

We weren't hunters today, seeking out easy prey; we were witnesses to this beautiful miracle of life.

* * *

To **gypsysue **and **naelany** for going over this, editing what needed to be edited and laughing at my asinine typos. Love you both dearly.


	3. Crave

**The Twilight Twenty-Five**  
Prompt: Crave  
Pen name: stolenxsanity  
Pairing: JaspexAlice  
Rating: T

* * *

Her handwriting was messily scrawled across the post-it note, highlighting her haste in penning it.

_J ~ You quit. I threw them out. Love you, Alice_

I crumpled the paper between my fingers and grumbled to myself inaudibly, as my co-workers exited the building for a smoke break.

_This just wouldn't do_.

I glanced around the office, a reaction to my wife popping up at inopportune moments, and pulled my drawer open; grasping the pack I'd hidden here. Smiling to myself, I quickly followed my associates outside.

I _would_ pay for this later, but right now, I couldn't care less.

* * *

To **gypsysue **and **naelany** for going over this, editing what needed to be edited and laughing at my asinine typos. Love you both dearly.


	4. Crusade

**The Twilight Twenty-Five**  
Prompt: Crusade  
Pen name: stolenxsanity  
Pairing: Rosalie  
Rating: T

* * *

It's a battle we should all be involved in so I didn't understand her hesitancy. Rose had suffered in her human life; surely she would want to help out now.

"It's a worthwhile cause; I don't see the problem."

"Of course you wouldn't," she spat. "How can we pursue an advance against child abuse without getting close to them? Do you know what I –"

She couldn't finish; the pain in her voice was poignant, heart wrenching. It wasn't the plan she was against; it was her self-control around the abusers.

She _would_ expose us if she got too close.

* * *

Thank you to **vi0lentserenity** for beta-ing and making sure that everything flowed and sounded good; to **gypsysue** for putting up with my constant complaining and indecisiveness with wording and such; to **nothingtolose15 **for reading through this and giving me your thoughts on it. You're all absolutely wonderful and I love y'all.


	5. Erosion

**The Twilight Twenty-Five**  
Prompt: Erosion  
Pen name: stolenxsanity  
Pairing: --  
Rating: T

* * *

It is with a heavy, non-beating heart that I sit here, idly twirling a pen between my fingers as I attempt to articulate my thoughts on the events that have brought me to this place. I watched from the sidelines as _Edward_ pursued _Bella_, giving absolutely no regard to us, his family.

_Family_.

That word had been so ingrained in us from the early days of our new half-lives, and I've embraced it strongly. But, now it lies in ruins at my feet, destroyed by my own hand without a thought.

His agony and her blood forever on my conscience.

* * *

Thank you to **vi0lentserenity** for beta-ing and making sure that everything flowed and sounded good; to **gypsysue** for putting up with my constant complaining and indecisiveness with wording and such; to **nothingtolose15 **for reading through this and giving me your thoughts on it. You're all absolutely wonderful and I love y'all.


	6. Heart

**The Twilight Twenty-Five**  
Prompt: Heart  
Pen name: stolenxsanity  
Pairing: JasperxBella  
Rating: T

* * *

I was pained, broken beyond words and I could feel the muscle thudding in my chest, pumping blood through my body. It didn't matter, though. I wanted to claw it out and put it in his hands; have him take it there. With him.

_It. Was. His. _

I heard the muttered words of reproach from the other wives as I crumpled in on myself, tears streaming down my face as I leaned against _our_ car. I was fraught with worry and fear for him, for Jasper.

"_I love you," _I whispered into the wind as it lashed my hair around my face, obscuring my vision further, the ache in my chest tangible as one hand fluttered over the lips he'd just kissed. I could still see him, turning and walking away from me, boarding the bus that would cart him off. The final glance at me over his shoulder before the doors swallowed him up, lips curved up in a half-smile, his wedding band glinting in the midday sun.

I could still picture the glassy look in his eyes, the color of a stormy ocean, his cap pulled low over his forehead as he tried to reassure me, calm me. So, I smiled for him through the steady flow of salt-tinged drops and held him tightly, wanting desperately to sear myself to him, crawl inside his skin and never leave.

But, _he_ did; he left.

Duty called and he was forced to let me go as I watched the internal struggle play out in his emotion-laden irises.

And still, I could still feel the way his hands had gripped my waist, holding me close; I could still hear his shallow breaths against my ear as he fought back the feelings that threatened to overwhelm; I could still picture the way that he had run his nose down to the juncture of my neck and inhaled deeply, longingly, desperately.

Every moment, every miniscule second, of today would be branded on my brain, would play on constant repeat until he was in my arms again. I would _not_ be able to rest and sleep would not come easy until then; not until I could be nestled into his side and feel the rise and fall of his chest under my palm, his fingers combing through my tangled tresses as we lay together, curled around each other, not an inch of space or unnecessary fabric between us.

I needed him to come home; I needed him to be safe.

_I just _needed _him. I needed _my_ strength, _my_ heart._

* * *

All my love to **gypsysue** and **AHelm **for putting up with my constant badgering and reading through this/beta-ing. You guys are so fucking win, jsyk. And, to the wives or other family members that have had to deal with watching their loved ones deploy to Iraq/Afghanistan, this one's for you and all the strength that you have shown for them.


	7. Jealousy

**The Twilight Twenty-Five**  
Prompt: Jealousy  
Pen name: stolenxsanity  
Pairing: JamesxAlice  
Rating: T

* * *

My desire for her was no longer a simple want to consume, to glut myself on her ambrosial blood. It had built into a manic longing, acute and stinging with unbridled desperation for her body and mind as well. I was ready to take her, to have her, to make her mine as I watched from my perch outside her window. Her eyes wide – irises the color of liquid steel and clouded over – as she stared off into the distance, into the future. I hadn't figured it out immediately, what her ability was or why she had been placed here, but I knew without a doubt that I needed to claim her.

She _would_ be mine.

It was true that the way her blood called to me, setting my throat on fire with every delectable inhale, was cause for concern. I _could_ drain her, _kill her_, so easily, swift and unrepentant in my actions.

So, I watched and waited, biding my time while attempting to acclimate myself to her scent; the stone, glass and metal that separated us holding me at bay, even if only temporarily. I knew that I could easily force my way through, but the presence of this flimsy structure helped keep me in check, cognizant of my baser, primal instincts; my vampiric nature.

And then _he_ came, his scent all over and around her hitting me like a searing inferno, burning me from the inside out. I knew that he could smell me every time he visited; doting on her like she was kin, a granddaughter perhaps. I didn't know how he could bear it, being so close to humans all the time, but he did and I envied him that.

_Alice_, he called her as he ran his fingers through the wayward spikes that stuck out in tufts from her head. Soothing and calming, his ministrations meant to ease her back into the real world slowly. I seethed silently over the way she looked at him, adoration clear in her eyes as the corners of her mouth curved upwards, a whisper of thanks leaving her parted lips. Unrecognizable emotions bubbled up in my chest as she slid into his arms and curled against his chest with a relieved sigh, her eyes falling closed shortly after.

He smiled – a wicked grin that showed him for what he really was – in my direction, knowing that I was there, that I had been an astute observer of their oddly normal rituals. His eyes remained trained on me as he lowered his face to her neck, tilting her sleeping head to the side for better access. Inhuman teeth glinted in the waning moonlight, proclaiming his victory over me and what was to be mine. Rising with a vampire's speed he fled, cradling her gently in his arms, taunting me to follow though it was obvious I could not without alerting anyone else to my presence.

Little did he know, however, that I _would_ find her again one day. With that assurance, I forced myself to uncoil from my slightly crouched stance and acknowledged that, today, he had bested me.

* * *

Miss **RAEcouter**, le beta extraordinaire, thank you for going over this so quickly and efficiently. I couldn't do it without you, bb. All my love to **gypsysue** and **AHelm **for putting up with my constant badgering and read through requests; you guys are so fucking win, jsyk.


	8. Juvenile

**The Twilight Twenty-Five**  
Prompt: Juvenile  
Pen name: stolenxsanity  
Pairing: EdwardxBella  
Rating: T

* * *

The building was teeming with teenagers, ages ranging from thirteen to nineteen, all scattered about at the various game stations as I stood off to the side. I was shocked, to say the least. This wasn't usually my scene; I made it a point to stick with what was familiar, nothing more and nothing less. Yet, there was something about this place – this remodeled warehouse that was stocked full of nothing but fun – that comforted me.

I saw _him_ then, standing across the room with my best friend's older brother. I watched as he tapped Emmett on the shoulder and pointed me out, eyebrow arched, questioning. I smiled as Emmett turned towards me, his lips pulling up into his trademark grin before he gestured for me to come over. My steps were slow and unsure as I moved through the mass of bodies, avoiding those I could and apologizing profusely to those that I couldn't.

"Hey Emmett," I murmured lowly as my eyes flashed sideways, taking in the younger boy that stood beside him. "Sorry that I'm kind of late, parking was a bit of a hassle." I gave him a shy, nervous smile as my fingers found the hem of my sweater.

"It's fine, Bella, don't even worry about it." Emmett's eyes were surveying the room as he spoke and, though any other person would probably have been offended with this action, I knew him well enough to know that it was just how he was. This place had become both he and Rose's life shortly after they'd married and learned that she wouldn't be able to conceive children of her own. Nodding shortly, I returned my attention to the way my hands twitched, fingers wrapped around the crimson and black fabric. I waited a moment longer before turning around, my eyes searching for the corn silk colored tresses of the statuesque blond that I looked up to as a sister.

It was the low murmurs of the voice beside me that jolted me from my perusals and I hastily stepped to the side, closer to the wall. "I – I'm sorry?" I responded, my words equally as quiet as I dropped my gaze to the floor, toeing the carpet with the gray and black _Etnies_ that encased my feet.

He smiled then; eyes alight with mirth as he gestured towards the air hockey table. "I asked if you wanted to play." Taken aback by his request, I searched the room once more for Rosalie, or even Alice. I knew she wouldn't be quite as easy to spot, though, being that she barely stood over five feet tall before nodding in acquiescence and smiling nervously.

"Sure …" I let my response hang in the air between us in hopes that he'd tell me his name.

"Edward," he responded with a brilliantly crooked grin.

"Sure, Edward."

* * *

Endless thanks to **vi0lentserenity**, **gypsysue**, **AHelm** and **naelany** for putting up with my incessant worrying and reading this over for me; I love you all dearly.


	9. Light

**The Twilight Twenty-Five**  
Prompt: Light  
Pen name: stolenxsanity  
Pairing: EdwardxBella  
Rating: T

* * *

Red and blue flashed in front of my barely closed eyelids as the crunching of glass on asphalt and metal against metal assaulted my auditory senses. There were people everywhere, their voices carrying over the consistent onslaught of rain that the Pacific Northwest was known for; panicked and pleading tones suffusing the air.

I blinked lazily as the bright colors continued to dance, shrouding the thick cove of trees that surrounded me in flashes of brilliant luminescent hues before descending into deep shadows once more. At the sound of my name – a stilted and strangled _Bella_ followed by loud, gut wrenching sobs – my mind spiraled back, thrusting me into a memory that was both clear and murky simultaneously.

_Edward in the driver's seat, pale white hands gripping the steering wheel so tightly that they shook in protest. _

_Angry drops pelting the frame of the car, dull thuds against the loud music that pervaded its interior. _

_Flickers of green and black blurred as we sped along the rain-slicked streets, hairpin turns tossing me back and forth against the door and into the air. _

_The seat belt strapped across my abdomen and torso digging into my skin through the thin cotton fabric that covered me._

_The jade and onyx irises that blazed in the muted glow of the moon as eyes darted back and forth from the road and then to my rigid form. _

_Bright lights, screeching tires, muttered curses and then … nothing. Complete and utter blackness, devoured me, giving way to searing agony in every centimeter of my body. _

"_Bella, Bella, Bella_," my name fell from the lips of the young girl beside me, ebony hair sticking up in tufts all around the crown of her head. Her steel gray eyes shone with unshed tears as her hands fluttered above me, taking stock of unknown injuries. The raven and slate combination were so different, yet strikingly familiar were both the set of her strong jaw and the fire that glinted behind the pain.

"_Ed-ward?_" I sputtered, coughing up blood in the process. The scent of rusted iron hit me immediately and my eyes rolled back as I gagged. Groaning against the pain, I tried to shift to my side. Dry heaves tore through me forcefully as I curled in on myself, limbs protesting against the stinging pain, giving way to darkness once more.

"_I don't understand." The voice that left my mouth was timid, a mere exhale as he eyed me evenly, hands resting lightly atop my shoulders. "Why would he –" I cut myself off before I could finish the thought and my fingers curled around his muscled forearms, nails like talons biting into the pale flesh._

"_I don't either, love." Was his short response, the brightly burning flame that I had grown accustomed to had been extinguished, leaving charred coals in its wake. "We need to get to home now, though." His words left no room for argument and the finality of it rang in the air that surrounded us._

_Decision made, our palms curled around each other's and fingers laced together securely as we made our way to the car through the darkened street. _

"_Her pulse is fading fast._" Loud and innocuous, my ears rang with the force of the words and my chest burned with every labored breath that I took. His name and face were the only thoughts that ran through my mind while they moved with urgency, strapping me to a stiff board. Though my attention was his, I could no longer _feel_ him, his unique energy force that had been a constant presence in my life from the moment he'd walked into it.

In its absence, I knew his light was gone. My eyes did not open again.

* * *

Gah, okay so, seriously … I wrote this without any thought at all. I started typing and an hour later reread it all *confused kitteh* like – yes, Era, head tilt and all – thinking to myself, "wtf did I just write?" I like it, though, and that seems to be the general consensus as well. However, I shall be hiding because … that ending.

Before that, though, big, huge heartfelt thank you to Le Betas **RAEcouter** and **vi0lentserenity**. Ladies, I love you both something fucking fierce. Big thanks also go out to **AHelm **and **gypsysue** for giving me their thoughts on this. Y'all made me blush, f'real.


	10. Mirror

**The Twilight Twenty-Five**  
Prompt: Mirror  
Pen name: stolenxsanity  
Pairing: Leah  
Rating: T

* * *

The water lapped at the tips of my toes, ice cold and biting in the early morning air, as the gusts of wind whipped at the short strands of hair that hung haphazardly over my eyes. The towering Spruces that rose up around the edge of the lake reflected on the surface, stretching out across the entire length, foreboding and dangerous in the early morning light. I watched as my finger skimmed along the wet top, splitting the crystalline veneer briefly before the sides merged together, low splashes resounding in the otherwise quiet atmosphere.

My lips curved up into a sharp sneer as I studied my reflected features warily. The thick black hair that used to flow down my back, ends brushing the tops of my thighs, had been shorn down to a boyish, layered bob. Raven irises stared back at me with disgust and pain flickering rapidly through them. Everything I had lost played before me, image after image appearing in short bursts, taunting me with the lost happiness and driving me to the brink of insanity with the remaining agony.

My pain was tangible; a physical entity that shrouded me, leaving only a shell of the woman I once was in its place.

There was _nothing_ and _no one_ that could even begin to understand the depth of the torments which I suffered through daily. Being in the heads of a pack of mostly pre-pubescent wolves and having them in mine, all our shortcomings and flaws laid bare for everyone to see, made my life – this transformation – that much more the horror story.

I _was_ a genetic dead end, lonely and broken with no reprieve in sight.

A _She-Wolf. _

* * *

Miss **RAEcouter**, le beta extraordinaire, thank you for going over this so quickly and efficiently. I couldn't do it without you, bb. All my love to **gypsysue** and **AHelm **for putting up with my constant badgering and read through requests; you guys are so fucking win, jsyk.


	11. Platonic

**The Twilight Twenty-Five**  
Prompt: Platonic  
Pen name: stolenxsanity  
Pairing: EdwardxBella  
Rating: T

* * *

_Twelve years_.

I had sat on the sidelines for twelve _fucking _years as she methodically destroyed herself for one man after another. I was the shoulder to cry on, the one she could call at four in the morning when the tears wouldn't stop falling and she was at the end of her proverbial rope.

_Always me_. The quintessential best friend that was head over heels in love with her. Unfortunately, she was completely blind to this fact and instead I got to listen to her go on about relationship fail number … _oh who the fuck was I kidding, I had lost count approximately eleven and a half years ago._

"_Are you even listening to me?_" She sighed into the receiver and I could hear the rustle of fabric as she shifted her position in bed. She was _always_ in bed when she called me_. _As if it wasn't enough that I 'd imagined her in various states of undress at one point or another, I also had to spend time talking to her knowing full well she was on the other end of the line practically naked _and_ in bed. I was barely able to stifle the groan that threatened to slip out as I switched my phone from one hand to the other.

"I'm listening," I finally muttered a bit petulantly. "He hasn't come home again for the third night in a row and he isn't answering his phone." Pausing briefly, I chastised myself for being so flippant as I heard her breath hitch through the transmission. "I'm sorry, B, I just don't know what else you want me to say." Of course, I couldn't say what I _really_ wanted to because then I'd be unsupportive and, God forbid, a _bad friend_. I was just tired of this _farce, _of pretending to be nothing more than the role I'd been allotted as I watched her waste away.

She deserved to be loved, cherished – worshipped even. Instead she was treated as easily replaceable, a dime a dozen kind of girl, time and time again. These were lies that couldn't have been further from the truth.

In my eyes, she was perfect in every way. An impeccable friend and confidant, amazingly intelligent and witty and, _fuck,_ she was absolutely gorgeous. How she couldn't see that she deserved to have so much more than what she was getting – emotionally and physically – confounded me.

I couldn't help but wonder, as I listened to more secret tears falling on the other end of the line, when she'd come to the same conclusion I had years ago and see her beautiful self through my eyes.

* * *

Miss **RAEcouter**, le beta extraordinaire, thank you for going over this so quickly and efficiently. I couldn't do it without you, bb. All my love to **gypsysue** and **AHelm **for putting up with my constant badgering and read through requests; you guys are so fucking win, jsyk.


	12. Play

**The Twilight Twenty-Five**  
Prompt: Play  
Pen name: stolenxsanity  
Pairing: Alice  
Rating: T

* * *

The clouds rolled in thick overhead as we gathered at the field, preparing for a few hours of fun without the constant façade we were required to keep in place. Rosalie, unfortunately, was being even more unruly and petulant than normal, but everyone else had taken to the addition of Bella in the family with grace.

Of course, I had already known that they would.

We each took our places on the field, spreading out further than players would be in a regulation baseball game and, at the first crack of thunder, I grinned impishly.

"It's time," I murmured, smiling.

* * *

I realize that the round one TT25 challenge is done so, no need to point that out. Unfortunately – or maybe fortunately – for me, my OCD wouldn't let me not complete it. The result: this. Longer, much more involved, AN at the end of the last drabble.

My heartfelt thanks to **naelany **and **gypsysue **for putting up with my neurotic freak outs, hand counting each drabble for me since MS Word and GDocs always seemed to be off and forcing me to post these.


	13. Plea

**The Twilight Twenty-Five**  
Prompt: Plea  
Pen name: stolenxsanity  
Pairing: JacobxBella  
Rating: T

* * *

Her eyes were dead, flat and lifeless. Staring into them, I implored her not to go, though I knew deep inside she would. Despite the shell he had left behind in her place, the love she felt for him never faltered.

Still I tried, in hopes that she would see reason and understand that he wasn't worth the pain that it would cause her when he left once again. I had only just begun to repair the mess he made. Ultimately, though, it was pointless.

"I have to, Jake." Her words were final and I nodded as my heart shattered.

* * *

Thanks again to **naelany** and **gypsysue**.


	14. Raindrops

**The Twilight Twenty-Five**  
Prompt: Raindrops  
Pen name: stolenxsanity  
Pairing: EdwardxBella  
Rating: M

* * *

Standing at the edge of the cliff, illuminated by the half-moon above and surrounded by the sounds of the coming storm, I felt Bella as she approached. The thought of how gracefully she moved now brought a smile to my face as she wrapped her arms around me.

Turning, I traced the line of water that trickled down her face before leaning down, my lips brushing lightly against hers. With both of us drenched, I removed her clothes, smirking when she pressed her chest into mine.

As the heavens opened up above, we prepared for a storm of our own.

* * *

Thanks again to **naelany** and **gypsysue**.


	15. Retribution

**The Twilight Twenty-Five**  
Prompt: Retribution  
Pen name: stolenxsanity  
Pairing: Rosalie  
Rating: T

* * *

The satin bodice clung tightly to my chest and abdomen before flowing into a full, ball gown skirt. A wicked smile played on my lips, ivory teeth glinting in the waning moonlight as I glided along with sure steps, the train of white lace flowing behind me through the dirt and grime of the city streets.

My screams, a distant memory now, reverberated through my mind as I continued moving but the clacking of my heels on stone grounded me to the present.

I had a mission to complete tonight. Condemnation _would_ be mine; Royce _would_ suffer for his evils.

* * *

Thanks again to **naelany** and **gypsysue**.


	16. Sky

**The Twilight Twenty-Five**  
Prompt: Sky  
Pen name: stolenxsanity  
Pairing: EdwardxBella  
Rating: T

* * *

As I stepped out the back door and onto the beach a short, surprised gasp fell from my lips only to be quickly whisked away by the breeze blowing in off the ocean. Edward's back was to me as I moved, my steps precise, unfaltering, toward him and the expanse of ocean that stretched out to the distant horizon.

The moonlight bathed everything in an ethereal glow and, as I finally reached Edward's side, my eyes were drawn from the perfection of his pale, naked body to the light source above.

_Beautiful_ was the only word to describe the sight.

* * *

Thanks again to **naelany** and **gypsysue**.


	17. Soft

**The Twilight Twenty-Five**  
Prompt: Soft  
Pen name: stolenxsanity  
Pairing: JasperxAlice  
Rating: M

* * *

The way the small of her back arched inward, an invitation as her moans got louder was all the answer I needed. Leaning forward, over her prone form, my lips ghosted down her spine while my hands fluttered lightly over her ribs before coming to rest at her hips, holding her in place.

Her sweat-slicked flesh was like silk beneath my fingers, her breathy gasps like music to my ears.

I inhaled deeply as my nose nuzzled the expanse of flesh just above the curve of her bottom, holding it briefly to entertain the anticipation of what was to come.

* * *

Thanks again to **naelany** and **gypsysue**.


	18. Sour

**The Twilight Twenty-Five**  
Prompt: Sour  
Pen name: stolenxsanity  
Pairing: Leah  
Rating: T

* * *

I scoffed at the female leech's attempt at _mothering_ us to assuage her own guilty conscience. So what if she felt bad about the position that their presence here had put us in? Clothes and a few meals weren't enough to gain my gratitude or trust.

If I'd any other choice other than staying with The Pack or following Jake's lead, I would have taken it in a heart beat. I didn't like being here just as much as Jake didn't want me here but, given the options, it was preferable.

Protecting these blood-suckers went against everything I'd been taught.

* * *

Thanks again to **naelany** and **gypsysue**.


	19. Stagnant

**The Twilight Twenty-Five**  
Prompt: Stagnant  
Pen name: stolenxsanity  
Pairing: CharliexRenee  
Rating: T

* * *

My bags were packed, stacked beside the front door, as I got Bella ready to leave. I'd written Charlie a note and set it atop the coffee table, beside the remote so that I could be sure he'd find it. It pained me to know that this decision would affect him deeply but there was no other choice.

My creativity and growth had been stifled beneath the oppressive and dark clouds that hung low in the sky.

Forks wasn't where I belonged anymore. I'd grown depressed with the lack of everything that the small town offered and needed something more.

* * *

Thanks again to **naelany** and **gypsysue**.


	20. Touch

**The Twilight Twenty-Five**  
Prompt: Touch  
Pen name: stolenxsanity  
Pairing: EdwardxJasper  
Rating: M

* * *

Even through the thin latex that encased both my hands as I worked on his tattoo, I could feel the heat of his body as if there were no barriers between his skin and mine. My grip was light but firm, fingers digging slightly into his flesh as the tattoo gun buzzed away in my other hand.

I swallowed thickly as my eyes flickered over all the points of contact between our bodies and I couldn't help but wish that there were less clothes and more skin. I wanted to really _feel_; over me, under me, even inside of me.

* * *

Thanks again to **naelany** and **gypsysue**.

Also, this is sort of a miniature outtake of VQE in case you were wondering.


	21. Vivid

**The Twilight Twenty-Five**  
Prompt: Vivid  
Pen name: stolenxsanity  
Pairing: BellaxRenesmee  
Rating: T

* * *

As my daughter slept, I couldn't help but rest my palm gently along the slope of her cheek, wondering if I would still be able to see her thoughts while she rested. A small gasp escaped my slightly parted lips as the visions that danced beneath her pale pink eyelids flickered through my mind and, if I could have cried, I would have at that moment.

The images _felt_ real; like it was happening right before my eyes instead of something that I could envision only in my head.

Smiling fondly, I stroked the wisps of hair from her face.

* * *

Thanks again to **naelany** and **gypsysue**.


	22. Voracious

**The Twilight Twenty-Five**  
Prompt: Voracious  
Pen name: stolenxsanity  
Pairing: BellaxBree  
Rating: T

* * *

I could hear her snapping, snarling, before she came into view, her body wrapped around itself as Jasper and Carlisle stood above her. Her fingers dug into the grass and dirt beneath it as she tried not to launch herself at me, the grimace that contorted her features a testament to the pain she felt because of the me and the scent of my blood.

"_How can you stand it?_" She cried out to no one in particular, the sound grating and harsh on my ears as her crimson hued eyes met my incredulous gaze, as she clawed the ground.

* * *

Thanks again to **naelany** and **gypsysue**.


	23. Walls

**The Twilight Twenty-Five**  
Prompt: Walls  
Pen name: stolenxsanity  
Pairing: EdwardxBella  
Rating: T

* * *

Days turned into weeks in the little town of Forks as talk of the accident that almost was reached a striking crescendo before fizzling out, at least for most of the area's inhabitants.

Bella Swan, however, did not forget so easily, but neither did her rescuer.

Edward Cullen watched from afar, always protective though he couldn't quite understand why and, at night, he would sneak into her room and sit in the rocking chair that had been there since her birth.

As each day passed, though, he felt the barriers he'd erected and the promises he'd made wither into nothing.

* * *

Thanks again to **naelany** and **gypsysue**.


	24. Wood

**The Twilight Twenty-Five**  
Prompt: Wood  
Pen name: stolenxsanity  
Pairing: Seth  
Rating: T

* * *

I wandered absently through the forests surrounding the reservation, picking up dried branches along the way as my thoughts consistently came back to the upcoming bonfire. Of course, this wouldn't be my first time attending and hearing the legends of my ancestors but, up until recently, they were just that:

_Legends_.

In what seemed like almost no time at all, I'd made it back to the clearing near the cliffs, dropping the piles of wood to be used for tinder later, and bounded around the pit.

Excitement coursed through me as I realized I was part of these legends now.

* * *

Thanks again to **naelany** and **gypsysue**.


	25. Worship

**The Twilight Twenty-Five**  
Prompt: Worship  
Pen name: stolenxsanity  
Pairing: SamxEmily  
Rating: T

* * *

It's hard to look at her sometimes and see the result of my actions, my lack of control, in the raised scars that run down her face. The guilt can be unbearably consuming if I allow it to fester like I'm occasionally prone to do. Still, she's the most beautiful person, both on the inside and as well as the outside, that I've ever had the honor to lay my eyes on.

This is why I do my best to show her, every day, how much I adore and cherish her and how much I truly do love her.

* * *

Thanks again to **naelany** and **gypsysue**.

On a completely separate note, I apologize to anyone who has me on author alert for any of my stories. It seems that RL has a way of knocking you to the ground and kicking you once you're there; hospital stays and family tragedies are not exactly conducive to creativity. I won't say more than that about it; those who need to know the details are aware of them and it's not something that I care to post about or discuss publicly. I am back, though, just nowhere near a hundred percent. I will be continuing on to post Round Two of The Twilight Twenty-Five and then following that up with working on _Verum Quod Eventus_ shortly thereafter. So, don't count me out just yet. -- stolenxsanity


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